Refrigerating-package.



No. 688,521. Patented nec. lo, |901.

. H. l. Hlx.

BEFBIG'ERATING PACKAGE.

'(Applicaton filed Sept. 11, 1901.)

u: mumps prrsnsco. momrumo.. wAsNmuYoN D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;`

HARRY I. HIX, or RooKLAND, MAINE.

REFRlGERATlNG-PACKAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,521, dated December 10, 1901.

Application tiled September 11, 1901. Serial No. 75,028. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it' may concern,.-

Beit known that I, HARRY I. I-IIX, of Rockland, in the county of Knox and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating-Packages, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to packages for the storage and shipment of perishable articles of food, such as fresh fish, poultry, dac.; and it has for its object to provideva strong, durable, and relatively inexpensive package adapted to hold a body of ice in position to surround the goods to be preserved and to maintain a circulation of air through lthe ice and through the said goods, the air being kept cool by the ice and effectively refrigerating the goods.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

The accompanying drawing, forming apart of this specification, represents a vertical section of a package embodying my invention.

In the drawing, a represents an outer cylindrical receptacle, which is preferably a cask or tub of ordinary form and construction.

b represents an` inner cylindrical receptacle, which is of tapering or frusto-conical form and is preferably composed of staves and hoops, like an ordinary caskor barrel. The inner receptacle b is shorter than the outer receptacle a, and its larger end is formed to enter and lit somewhat loosely the lower end of the outer receptacle. The taper and the relative shortness of the inner receptacle cause the formation of an annular icespace s between the cylindrical bodies of the two receptacles and an end space S between vthe upper e'nds of the receptacles.

The inner receptacle b is provided with va removable cover b', which supports amass of broken ice deposited in the space s. The ice settles from the space s into the annular space s and keeps the latter filled so long as the space s is sufciently supplied.

The inner receptacle b is provided with openings b2 at its.upper 4end and corresponding openings b5 at its lower end, said openings permitting a free circulation of air through the interior of the inner receptacle and through the ice surrounding the latter.

The goods in the inner receptacle are therefore continuously subjected to cold air kept in circulation. V

It will be seen that the ice is kept from direct contact with the goods and that the goods are separated from the external air by the ice and air spaces s s.

The air-openings b2 bgare preferably formed by longitudinally displacing or driving endwise some of the staves of the inner receptacle, as shown inthe drawing.

The bottom of the outer receptacle a is provided with holes h h for the escape of the water formed by the melting of the ice. I prefer to provide the outer receptacle ct with a covering of straw matting, which may be nailed orotherwise secured to said receptacle.

The inner receptacle b is preferably provided with blocks t t', which are nailed to the `upper ends of some of the staves, to support the top b', which may be attached to said blocks by screws or otherwise. These blocks may project above the upper end of the receptacle b to form an air-space between said upper end and the bottom of the cover. block may be either on the inner orthe outer surface of the receptacle b.

I claim- 1. A refrigerating-package comprising an outer cylindrical receptacle having a bottom,

the bottom end of the outer receptacle, and a smaller end which is sufficiently reduced to form an annular ice-space between the two receptaCleS, the said inner receptacle being shorter than the outer receptacle, so that an icespace is formed above the upper end of the inner receptacle, and having a cover at its upper end and air-openings at its upper and lower ends communicating with the annular ice-space.

2. `A refrigeratiiig-package comprising an outer cask or tub, a shorter inner cask made larger at one end than at the other, and having a removable cover at its smaller end, its larger end internally itting the bottom end of the outer cask, an annular ice-space being formed between the two casks extending the entire length of the inner cask and between the upper ends of the casks, said inner cask The v IOO having air-openings at its upper and lower the upper ends of the casks, solneof thestaves ends communicatingwith said annularspaee. of the inner cask being displaced endwise to 3. A refrigerating-pacliage comprising an form air-openings at the ends of said Cask. outer cask or tub, a shorter inner Cask made In testimony whereof I have aiixed my sig- 5 larger at one end than at the other and havnature in presence of two Witnesses.

ing a removable cover at its smaller end, its larger end internally fitting the bottom end HARRY I' HIX of the outer Cask, an annular ice-space being Witnesses: formed between the two easks, extending the A. S. LITTLEFIELD,

Io entire length of the inner @ask and between SUMNER P. MILLS. 

